Under Army pressure, Sharif appoints ex-Gen Janjua as new NSA

Retired Lieutenant General Nasser Khan Janjua has been appointed as the new National Security Adviser (NSA) of Pakistan "with immediate effect".

According to The Dawn, a notification issued by the Cabinet Division of the Pakistan Government said that he has been appointed "with immediate effect, with the status of minister of state."

The post was earlier held by Sartaj Aziz, who is also the Adviser on Foreign Affairs. The army chief felt that Aziz had too much on his plate as he also held the portfolio for Foreign Affairs.

Janjua, in his new role, will oversee security affairs including negotiations with India.

 

The military had been reportedly pressing the government to bring in a new NSA.

The appointment of a retired general as the NSA is being seen as a sign of increasing military control of  Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government.

Earlier, Janjua was the president of the National Defense University and has also worked on military preparedness exercise 'Azm-e-Nau', which focuses mainly on India.